Frizz goggled at the sight. Her trembling fingers pinched her skin to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

A living room sprawled before her, obscenely big in Nodrog standards. Red pot plants shone under UV lamps—a splash of color that popped out from ornate furnishing as black as night. The arching windows looked out onto the cityscape, forming an illuminated backdrop.

"You...live here?" she asked the vem who stood watching her. "This place is incredible."

Manda hesitated. "You...speak so well."

"Yes." Frizz let out a bitter chuckle as anger bubbled to the surface. "Frump actually uses human like an insult. You think we're stupid and dirty, don't you? That we can't understand what you say."

The vem said nothing.

"My momma taught me to speak—we can crubbin' speak, alright? Knowledge gets passed down too. We will never let Earth die in our memories. Even though you zombie filth took my momma from me—"

Frizz sucked in a breath and swiped a dirty hand over her eyes. She glanced at her wrist, now free of the identification band. The first thing Manda had done was stop by a garage home of a "friend from uni" to get the band removed. Together, they had treated her sprained ankle and the cuts on her feet.

The silence that followed her outburst dragged on, except for the clicking of electronics.

Manda strode over to a door and motioned for her to go in. "Pick some clothes. I'll get you food."

Frizz shook her head. "I have to get to a ship!"

"They won't leave this fast."

"How do you know?"

The vem just walked up to the counters that ran the length of the far wall.

Almost half an hour later, Frizz drifted back into the living room. After washing off the grime, her skin glowed a different tone of brown and prickled with a pleasant sensation. Only the roomier clothes fit her, and the scarf draped her form like bat wings. She rubbed her arms, unable to get used to the peculiar garments.

Manda sat at the counter in statuesque stillness. At her approach, she slid a plate in her direction.

Frizz pinned her eyes on the plate, which displayed a serving of beans and bulbfruit. The juicy fruit was more vibrant than she had ever imagined. At the Pens, all she had eaten were varieties of mush with supplements added in. Her stomach rumbled.

After a hesitant glance at the vem, she dug into the meal. She forgot to breathe as her tongue reveled in the taste and texture of new food.

Her plate cleaned, she licked juice off a finger. "Wait, where did you get this?"

"A pet food store," Manda said.

"Oh." She knew that vomons kept various creatures as pets, including bats. "You went to get it?"

"No, they sent a drone."

Suddenly, a wave of emotion swept over her. "You—you eat us."

Manda shook her head. "No."

"What?"

"I print what I want using Humami flesh." She gestured to a machine on one of the countertops. "It's lab grown."

Revulsion and disbelief played a tug of war in Frizz's head. "What!"

Manda was the epitome of composure. Everything from her silver eyes to the viridescent skin spurred an involuntary bout of hate in Frizz. If she could shoot the vomons one by one, she would. Yet, this vem confused her. Her face was the blank mask she expected her ruthless oppressors to wear, but her actions were a contradiction. She knew not what to make of her. Wariness clawed at her insides.

"Then why don't all of you zombies eat it and leave us alone?" Frizz yelled.

"Many reasons." Manda's claw traced a circle on the countertop. "It's new, priced higher...and most don't want it."

Anger simmered inside, and she stifled the urge to break every little thing in the apartment and wipe the placidity off the vem's face.

Before she could retort, Manda hopped to her feet and marched to the couch, her booties clip-clopping on the stone. She grabbed her bag and threw another one at Frizz.

She caught it, experiencing a twinge of pain in her side. "What's this?"

"Well," Manda said, heading to the front door. "Don't you need supplies for your big journey?"

Frizz trailed behind without a word, a frown etched on her face.

Soon afterwards, they sat in a driverless hover car, which zoomed towards the Rim—what the vomons called the end of their cylindrical world. Lights and holo-adverts streaked by while the higher vantage point offered breathtaking views above the haze.

Frizz soaked in the scenery, her mouth ajar. The thrill of the ride nudged aside her worries for the time being. Excitement overwhelmed her, and a hysterical laugh built up in her chest.

The car deposited them at a bustling mall, and Manda led the way, weaving through throngs of vomons. Enveloped by the cacophony of noise, Frizz lowered the hood of her jacket and wrapped the scarf tighter. The proximity to all the vomons in the dizzying new environment made her heart skitter.

They entered massive elevators—glass pods caged in tendrils of black metal. Within seconds, they shot up impossibly high towards the center of the Rim, which lay obscured with clouds.

"It's not this crowded normally," Manda muttered as they ascended. "It's 'cause of the ships."

Frizz tore her gaze away from the panorama. "How will I get in?"

"You can sneak into Black Bull—my mother's ship."

A sudden thought jostled to the forefront of her brain. "Wait, how'd you find me? What were you doin' in the Pens?"

"I was going to break out some of you humans and get you to Black Bull."

The babble of noise rose to fill in the quiet.

Frizz found her voice, and quavering words tumbled out, "Why would you do that?"

Manda shrugged.

Through her turbulent vat of emotions, Nail's face solidified in her mind. "C—can we go back and get the others?"

"Something went wrong." The vem frowned. "I think my mother might've guessed what I planned."

Frizz mulled over this newfound piece of information.

A few minutes later, they traversed a terminal packed with vomons. Now that they were closer to the central axis of the cylinder, the gravity was significantly less, which enabled them to move in loping strides. It also eased the strain on Frizz's ankle.

Gateways yawned amidst holo-adverts. Robotic porters whisked away boxes and cases. The chaotic miscellany of tech, grime and activity assaulted Frizz like a solar flare.

Manda directed her towards a gateway that was fairly deserted. She stopped at a counter for biometric authentication.

"Entry denied," a robotic voice crackled.

A deep frown shadowed Manda's face again. She reached for a display and rapidly keyed in codes.

The result was the same.

Frizz's heart rate accelerated while her furtive stare hovered over the barrier and the vomon security personnel. Manda emitted an exasperated sigh and backed away.

"What do we do?" Frizz hissed.

"Time for Plan B."

Humami: A lab-grown human meat brand inspired by Bistro In Vitro, a fictitious restaurant on the internet. The word humami is derived from "human" and "umami".

Holo-advert: A holographic advertisement.

Central axis: The cylindrical habitat rotates around its central axis, which is zero gravity.